Bondi Beach Terror Attack Kills Rabbi Who Commemorated 26/11 Mumbai Victims

A rabbi, who recently helped organise a memorial for the Chabad emissaries killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was among the 15 victims of an antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Local Jewish bodies said 41-year-old Rabbi Eli Schlanger was also the one who helped to organise the gathering on Sunday evening to mark the start of the Hanukkah holiday.

His cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, announced the tragedy on social media, saying, "My dear cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was murdered in today's terrorist attack in Sydney. He leaves behind his wife, young children, and family. He was truly an incredible person."

Schlanger had recently become a father for the fifth time. 

Dear Prime Minister @narendramodi

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the Rabbi who organized the Chanukah celebration in Sydney on the Bondi beach was murdered by the terrorist/ along with twelve members of his community.

Only one week he ago, Rabbi Schlanger organized a commemoration for… pic.twitter.com/p0kfAuZLqk

— Avraham Berkowitz (@GlobalRabbi) December 14, 2025

The British-born rabbi, who lived in Sydney for the past 18 years, was the assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi, which put on the event. Chabad is a global Jewish organisation whose mission is to foster Jewish identity and connection. 

"Nothing was too big for him," said friend Alex Ryvchin, who is also co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. 

"He would drive out to regional parts of the state and sit with prisoners in our jails and listen to their stories. He would go to Waterloo and Redfern and to the public housing and sit with the elderly, he would listen to their stories and feed them and make sure they had meals and kosher products. He was the sort of person who illuminated our lives with kindness, his grace and generosity." 

Schlanger's brother-in-law, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, said the family was "broken".

"They have fallen apart," Kastel told Reuters. Kastel said that for the rabbi's wife, her best friend's husband was also killed in the shootings. 

"They were best friends through school and both lost their husbands here. The rabbi has a baby only a few months old. It's very, very difficult, it's too early to tell how they will be feeling, how it will land, they are in shock."

About The Attack

The attack unfolded during the Hanukkah by the Sea celebration, marking the first day of Hanukkah. Hundreds of people had gathered near Campbell Parade to participate in the gathering. 

Two gunmen opened fire, killing 15 civilians. Over forty people were hospitalised, including two police officers and four children, one of whom later died from her wounds. One suspect remains in critical condition, while investigators continue to examine the scene.

Police say the attack was carried out by a father and son, and their victims' ages ranged from as young as 10 to 87. The 50-year-old alleged gunman was killed by police.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the violence as a targeted terrorist attack on Jewish Australians. "This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.

Albanese said the location, Bondi Beach, a place of celebration and community gathering, made the attack especially shocking. He also proposed tougher national gun laws after a mass shooting.

Albanese said he would propose new restrictions, including limiting the number of guns a licensed owner can obtain. His proposals were announced after the authorities revealed that the older of the two gunmen – who were a father and son – had held a gun licence for a decade and had amassed his six guns legally.

"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," Albanese told reporters.

"People's circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licenses should not be in perpetuity," he added.